Bury Your UnbeliefSample

Area of Unbelief #5: Despair

In today’s reading, Amnon, Tamar’s half-brother, becomes infatuated with her and rapes her. Her other brother, Absalom, saw her and asked, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” Tamar ended up living as a “desolate” woman in Absalom’s house.

If you remember the rest of the story, Absalom eventually had Amnon killed to avenge Tamar (see 2 Samuel 13:28). Murder came out of Absalom and Tamar’s bitterness. That is severe despair. 

I have a less extreme example from my own family. My mother loved artwork, and she did felt-o-grams and felt boards. We used them in the Sunday school program at our church. But, at a certain point, we began illustrating stories differently than with felt-o-grams, and my mother was terribly offended. She got mad at my husband and quit coming to church. After a little while, my husband went over to talk with her and eventually she did come back to church. She forgave my husband and saw that felt-o-grams were not as important as she thought they were.

Do you have negative family stories? Do you have places where the bitterness and despair of the past is hurting you? Are you going to hold on to bitterness and despair? You can be free! Why hold onto it? Bitterness hurts you more than it hurts the person you are bitter toward.

Ask yourself: Am I holding on to any bitterness or despair from the past? What about unforgiveness from a time when someone hurt me?